It was the concern of Nebraska’s Republican governor over expanded Medicaid costs in the proposed Senate health care overhaul bill that led to a compromise to cover his state’s estimated $45 million share over a decade, U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson said Sunday.

Gov. Dave Heineman “contacted me and he said this is another unfunded federal mandate and it’s going to stress the state budget, and I agreed with him,” said the Nebraska Democrat, who was himself a Nebraska governor in the 1990s. “I said to the leader and others that this is something that has to be fixed. I didn’t participate in the way it was fixed.”

But Heineman expressed anything but gratitude, saying he had nothing to do with the compromise and calling the overhaul bill “bad news for Nebraska and bad news for America.”

“Nebraskans did not ask for a special deal, only a fair deal,” Heineman said in a statement Sunday.

In response, Nelson fired off a letter Sunday to Heineman saying he’s prepared to ask that the provision covering Nebraska’s Medicaid share “be removed from the amendment in conference, if it is your desire.”

The criticism is only a taste of what Nelson has received since announcing Saturday that he would become the 60th vote needed to advance the landmark legislation.

***11:00pm Eastern. Democrat Sen. Ben Cardin is going through the litany of new special-interest centers and institutes — for women, minority health, etc., etc., etc — that will be created under Demcare. He’s Big Santa rummaging through an endless sack of government goodies. Ho, ho, ho.

Democrat Sen. Mark Udall will serve as chair. Time will be equally divided for an hour, with Majority Leader controlling the final 10 minutes and the Republican Leader controlling the 10 minutes immediately prior.

12:20pm Eastern. Sen. McCain must have had a Red Bull. He’s on the floor now roasting the payoffs and the backroom deals. The Democrats, he says, “will pay consequences. They should. They should.” Says all Republicans will unite against Demcare, go to town halls and senior centers. “We have just begun to fight.”